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Some Colorado Republicans not happy about social conservative bills

After their trouncing at the polls in November, several Colorado Republicans said the party needed to take a hard look at itself.

The party should broaden its tent and try not to anger certain groups such as women, immigrants and supporters of gay rights, some said. Some GOP leaders said that ignorant-sounding comments about rape and social issues, even several states away, hurt candidates everywhere.

So it has come as a surprise to see GOP legislation at the state Capitol that is taking an even sharper turn to the right than in recent years.

"In hearing and reading about some of the bills, it struck me as a video of 'Legislators Gone Wild,' " said former Rep. B.J. Nikkel, a Loveland Republican. "Some of these things that I see these guys doing, I think it does hurt Republicans and help us lose credibility in the eyes of many voters in Colorado."

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But some Republicans say Democrats are the ones pushing social issues, including a measure to allow same-sex couples to form civil unions. With Democrats in control of both chambers and the governor's office, their measures stand a good chance of passing.

A few GOP bills that have raised eyebrows among veteran Republicans inside and outside the Capitol would:

• Ban abortions even in cases of rape or incest, allowing exceptions to save the life of the mother.

• Prohibit abortions based on the gender of a fetus, a practice that bill supporters said exists in some cultures and should be outlawed in Colorado.

• Allow teachers to present alternate views on evolution and global warming, a bill that critics said was aimed at allowing religious ideas such as creationism in schools.

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Some Republican lawmakers have complained privately that bills that tack hard on social issues detract from the GOP's efforts to focus the public's attention on jobs and the economy, the issues that overwhelmingly are the top concerns for Coloradans.

"We're not going to be the kind of caucus that puts our thumbs on people and says, 'This is what you get to do, and this is what you don't get to do,' " he said. "Everyone is elected independently by their own districts."

Unapologetic about bill

Rep. Steve Humphrey, a freshman Republican from Severance, introduced the bill allowing alternate views on evolution and global warming and the bill banning abortion in all cases except to save the mother's life. He was unapologetic in talking about his abortion bill.

"I ran as a pro-life candidate. I understand it's very controversial, but I'm not going to back away from it," he said.

But some Republicans say GOP lawmakers have to think about the repercussions of their bills for their party.

"Every bill you run is going to define your party, so the question every legislator needs to ask to ask is, 'Am I making it easier or harder for my party to win a majority in the next election cycle?' " said former state Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Genesee.

Witwer and former state Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, wrote a guest column for The Denver Post after the election saying Republicans needed to stop alienating women, Latinos, gays and others.

Jon Caldara, president of the conservative-libertarian Independence Institute in Denver, pointed out that nearly one-third of lawmakers are new.

"It's going to take them a while to learn that those (social issue) bills will never see the light of day. I hope they get wiser and stop wasting their bill titles," he said. "It's all a distraction. The sentiment of people in Colorado has changed dramatically on social issues."

He said November's election might be the catalyst for social conservatives and fiscal conservatives to finally find common ground.

"The No. 1 priority is going to have to be the budget," Caldara said.

But Democratic strategist Laura Chapin was skeptical that Republicans would change.

"I think at some point (that Republicans') leadership needs to look at the issues that cost them seats and say, 'We're not running bills on this,' " Chapin said. "The creationism thing is the one where I just went, 'What?' This is Colorado. This is a highly educated state."

Separation from two issues

A few Republicans are bolting from conservative orthodoxy on two issues. Three Senate Republicans are supporting allowing illegal immigrants to attend state colleges at the in-state tuition rate, including Sen. Greg Brophy of Wray, who once fought it.

And unlike past sessions, there have been virtually no bills to crack down on illegal immigrants.

But even some Republicans who have veered left on issues have found themselves in the cross hairs of the Republican right.

After freshman Sen. Owen Hill, R-Colorado Springs, indicated he would support a bill allowing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, he was savaged by conservatives in El Paso County.

And when Nikkel voted yes on a civil-unions bill in committee in 2012, she got calls, e-mails and even criticism at her church.

Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, a staunch opponent of abortion and civil unions, believes Democrats are the ones pushing social issues.

"There's more push on the left to ram their social agenda down the throats of the people of Colorado," Lundberg said. "They've got a clean shot to do it, too. Nobody's here to stop them."

Democrats are definitely pushing hard on civil unions, but polling shows Coloradans — even many Republicans — now overwhelmingly support legal recognition of same-sex unions.

Other issues that Democrats support include a bill that would give grants to school districts that offer "comprehensive" sex education that is "culturally sensitive" and takes into account "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities."

Conservatives said the bill, which requires that students opt out of the sex-ed curriculum instead of opting in, is a subtle attempt to teach children about gay sex.

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